Senior Legal Officer

About the role

The Senior Legal Officer will provide high‑quality legal, company secretarial and cross‑border advisory support to FairMoney Microfinance Bank. Reporting to the General Counsel/Company Secretary, the role demands strong commercial awareness and the ability to work independently on complex banking matters.

Key responsibilities

• Draft, review and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements, including vendor contracts, partnership agreements, data‑sharing arrangements, loan documentation and service level agreements.
• Provide timely, practical legal opinions to business units, the Executive Committee and other internal stakeholders on routine operational matters.
• Interpret and advise on regulatory correspondence, Central Bank of Nigeria circulars and industry consultation papers affecting the bank.
• Manage external counsel engagements, overseeing instructions, fees and quality of advice.
• Support dispute resolution by preparing demand notices, pre‑litigation correspondence and coordinating with litigation counsel.
• Maintain the bank’s contract register, legal templates library and standard form agreements.
• Assist in preparing agendas, board papers, management presentations and resolutions for Board, Executive Committee and various Board committees.
• Draft accurate minutes of board, EXCO and committee meetings and ensure compliance with governance standards.
• Maintain statutory registers, corporate records and filings with the Corporate Affairs Commission and other regulators.
• Support the annual general meeting process, including notice preparation, shareholder correspondence and post‑meeting filings.

Required profile

• Qualified lawyer with substantial experience in banking, corporate and commercial law.
• Proven ability to draft complex commercial agreements and handle multi‑jurisdictional legal issues.
• Experience preparing board and committee documentation and managing corporate governance matters.
• Strong independence, sound judgment and commercial awareness.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work closely with senior executives.

Required skills